Mourning's End
The forest was one of those places which had no palpable reason to exist. It was a creaking shack created by nature to serve as an establishment of shinobi history; it was the vessel of world's legacy. All the trees were tightly-knit, just one strand in a massive web of life. Green leaves, yellow leaves, red leaves. It was a rainbow of rich, autumnal colors. The scent of earth and water drifted through the air. It was a picture of serenity, one which would endure for many long years. Amongst the trees sat a rather miraculous log, stained with moss and other frenzied plant-life. Atop it sat a certain entity, whose delicate facial features would represent that of a feeble child; an adolescent girl, whose luscious brown hair dazzled beneath the rays of the sun as a butterfly balanced itself on the tip of her nose. Suddenly, the butterfly took to the skies, fluttering off the girl's face, causing her to stumble to the ground in surprise. She rose to her feet quickly, giving chase to the fleeing specimen. From another direction ran a kuniochi, her ANBU mask fitted to a tee, her shoulder length orange hair blowing in the wind. While only an average in height, her presence made her several times larger, as nature shrunk away from her existence. Behind the mask lay a distinctive sneer, as the young woman nimbly jumped from tree to tree, making her way back to the Land of Fire's coastline. Her job was done, as the feeble missing-nin that she killed knew from the moment he saw who was sent to eliminate him. With Kiri's secrets safely intact, she could look forward to a restful boatride back to Water Country, before delivering her report to the Mizukage. "That pathetic guy never stood a chance, makes me wonder why he decided to abandon ship with all that info. Did he expect them to send a capturing party so that they would bring him back and berate him before letting him go? What an idiot," Aisaka thought, before noting a presence. She stopped in time to watch a girl chasing a butterfly several feet below. "Who let's a child wander alone like that?" Aisaka thought, before landing gracefully on the forest floor. The butterfly continued down the path, oddly enough, while never directly engaging Aisaka, the butterfly took notice of the newly arrived female, charging past her. Similarly, Sayuri did the same, almost as if she were ignoring the fact that the ANBU member had elected to stop by. In reality, she was aware of the girl's position —in fact, Aisaka's presence was so trifling in nature, that one would find it nearly impossible to evade it in such a manner. Nonetheless, physically, it appeared as though the girl was oblivious of Aisaka's arrival, or rather, she cared more for the butterfly's attention than all else. Hot in pursuit, Sayuri trotted past Aisaka. As she watched the girl and the butterfly charge by her, Aisaka reached a crossroads. Should she drag this girl back to Water Country with her, or just leave her alone? While appearing as only a girl, something about the child seemed off. Maybe because it felt a little to mechanic, a little to practiced. It was as if Aisaka was watching an act, meant for an uncomprehending audience. Particularly, something about that girl's chakra troubled Aisaka, yet she couldn't put her finger on it. She decided to follow the girl on her butterfly hunt, puzzling over whether to talk to the girl or just leave. "No one just leaves a girl out by herself though," she thought before saying, "Yo kid, what are you doing out here on your own? Shouldn't you be with your mom?" Bit by bit, Sayuri inched closer to the fleeing specimen, only to be distracted by the sudden emergence of talent giving way behind her. She stopped suddenly, in her tracks, and turned to devote her attention towards Aisaka. However, this was not especially long lived, as within no more than a moment's hesitation, Sayuri turned back around, noticing the butterfly had created a fair amount of distance between them. She strutted forward, reaching her hand out as if she were trying to hitch a ride. "Wait!" She exclaimed, her high pitched voice booming through the forest. Rendering her efforts futile, Sayuri acknowledged her failure. She pouted her lips, tucking her chin against her neck, before once again turning to face her admirer, Aisaka. The little girl's eyes narrowed, suggesting frustration. Pointing her finger at the masked travel, Sayuri took to scolding her. "This is all your fault!" She began, standing beneath the sun. It was almost as if the rays of the sun created a spotlight around the small child, further revealing her delicate features; though the most noticeable remained the peculiar magenta rhombus on her forehead, which anyone would have been able to trace as the customary signature technique of the Fifth Hokage. Lowering her shoulders, Sayuri once again pouted her lips whilst drooping her head all in the same instant, conveying maximum disappointment. She then began to slowly walk away, along the same path she would have taken —only much more enthusiastically— had the butterfly still been present. Aisaka was startled as the girl pointed a finger at her and yelled, having lost her precious butterfly. As the girl walked away, Aisaka shrugged, completely ignoring the girl's disappointment and frustration. It was at that point that she noticed magneta rhombus on the girl's head. While Aisaka had never been one for studying, even she knew that magneta rhombus was also shown on the Fifth Hokage, otherwise known as Tsunade. "The fuck?" Aisaka thought as the girl continued on her path. Aisaka began to follow the girl, not out of the desire to, but rather to see where she was going. The magneta rhombus still struck a chord with Aisaka, as she knew not just any person had that seal. "Could she be related to the Fifth?" she thought, "If so, why the hell is she out here on her own? They're just begging for a stray hunter-nin or bandit to come and wipe this girl out," Despite knowing she was being rather talkative for a hunter-nin/ANBU member, she wanted to know who the hell this girl was. "I repeat, why the heck are you out here by yourself? Shouldn't someone like you, who is related to the Fifth Hokage, be under guard? You're really just asking to be killed wandering around like that in an oblivious manner," Aisaka stated, her face impassive behind the mask. This girl was as sharp as they came. It took her very little time to decipher the relation Sayuri had with Tsunade-sama, despite the latter having passed even prior to Aisaka's birth. However, Sayuri was still a bit confused as to how the girl may have so easily concluded a relation between Tsunade and herself, seeing as though another had come to possess the same rhombus on her forehead. Nonetheless, Sayuri finally came to a sudden halt, turning, yet again, to face Aisaka. Her face turning bright red, almost as though she were embarrassed for whatever reason, Sayuri addressed the masked stalker. "I'm old enough to go wherever I want on my own, okay?!" She started, her hands retreating to her hips to appear all that more convincing. It had certainly been sometime since anyone had cared to acknowledged the Fifth Hokage, seeing as though many others had followed afterwards. The thought brought back a rush of memories to Sayuri's mind, though she refused to show any sign of sorrow; instead, her eyes narrowed, and she yet again resorted to pointing at her opposer. "Why don't you just mind your own business!" Through words alone, it was evident that this child was quite frustrated, and with good reason, seeing as though a butterfly had managed to escape her sight. "Heh, a little girl like you? Please there are people chomping at the bit for a little relative of the Fifth to come wandering along right into their hands. Heck, I would do the deed myself, but I find it wholly satisfying to watch a girl full of naivety prance around chasing butterflies. In fact, you act like no one could hurt you, as if you aren't what you convey yourself as," at this Aisaka smiled behind her mask while keeping her voice bored. "Besides, in case you're wondering why I immediately related you to Tsunade, it's because of your chakra quality. There's only one clan who can produce such chakra naturally even as children. Combine that with a rival clan's own prowess, and we get chakra like yours. If I'm correct, wasn't there such a mixing of chakra between two such members within the Tsunade family that resulted in a child?" at this Aisaka grinned like a Chester cat, her voice dripping contempt. She took back her previous statement, maybe she was more of a study than she remembered. Its hard to remember between all the times she scared the shit of out people with only her presence. Good times indeed. Aisaka was a bright kunoichi indeed; she was worthy of her ranking among the ANBU. Sayuri responded to the girl's comments with an enormous smile, one that spanned both sides of her face, showcasing her sparkling white teeth. Her eyelids closed tightly, giving the child a playful look of innocence. "Hee hee!" Was all the girl managed, before an apple from a tree above coincidentally fell into the palm of her hand. She helped herself to a bite, before reverting her attention to Aisaka; thereafter, she offered the bitten apple to the masked solider. "Whunt sum?" She asked while chewing, her full cheeks puffing into round spheres. Aisaka stared at the bitten apple, before resuming her smug demeanor. "Nah, I just ate. It's a shame I can't bring this land's food back home with me, it's worlds better than what we eat at home. Ah well, it is what is. So do you just plan on chasing butterflies all day? If so, I'm going to head on my way, because I have places to be," with that, Aisaka leaned against a tree, while waiting patiently for the young girl's answer. It was by doing so that she thought of another question, "I never asked your name kid...what is it?" Aisaka pondered aloud. To think that Aisaka would meet a descendant of Tsunade, that powerful medic-nin that set the standard for kuniochi all over the shinobi world. "Well, you meet someone new everyday," she thought, before nimbly reaching the apple tree's branches. She had rethought her previous statement, and figured a few apples for the road never hurt. As a result of Aisaka's question, Sayuri became a bit paranoid. Surely the world would remember her as Uchiha Sayuri; no matter how hard she may have tried, there was no escaping her past. Not enough time had passed to rid herself of such a misfortune. It was a question she had never quite stumbled on before, especially not after electing to conceal her identity. Her hesitation was eminent, and to buy herself some more time, Sayuri engulfed the entire apple, mumbling gibberish as if she were truly trying to tell her name to Aisaka, whilst chewing on the lush fruit. Aisaka jumped back down, six apples in her hand. Taking out a scroll, she stored five away, before casually biting into the last one. "Does anyone own these orchards?" she asked the girl, noting that her mouth was full of the apple. She also noted that the girl hadn't answered the previous question. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Aisaka stated, while putting away the scroll full of apples. Aisaka's Killing Intent remained subdued, though she was tempted to use it on the suddenly silent girl. The fact that her boredom grew meant the temptation grew as well. The small child shrugged her shoulders in response to Aisaka's earlier question, proceeding to look about the forest for any signs of ownership. The thought had never once occurred to Sayuri; she may have very well been trespassing beyond borders that should have been made available to her. Nonetheless, she simply could not refrain from reaching for another apple, this time kicking the stump of the tree with a powerful kick --considerate of her small stature-- causing another apple to fall into her hands. Taking a bite, the juices poured into her mouth, requiring her immediate concern. Though the woman remained before her, Sayuri willingly choice to disrespect her, yet again issuing importance to a less significant material object as opposed to an actual human being. "So you won't answer the question...fine, will do it my way then," Aisaka said, the smile behind her mask turning cold and sinister. Around her the air darkened, and Aisaka imparted her feelings upon the unfortunate child. If their was one thing Aisaka hated, it was being ignored, especially when it was a child that should now better. Apparently her legacy hadn't extended to the Land of Fire. Welp, she was going to have to something about that, and the air around her continued to darken, as the nearest trees and apples started to decay and rot. Her grin continued to become more sinister, "Did that change your mind?" Aisaka asked, as her intent grew in potency. She didn't care who the child's ancestors were, if the girl wouldn't answer her questions, she would make her. Unfortunately for Aisaka, residing deep within the inner chambers of Sayuri was none other than the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, the very embodiment of hatred. If there was such a thing as fear in the world, Sayuri had long since overcome it; in fact, Kurama likened Sayuri's own resolve, empowered by her , to be far beyond that of anything he had ever come to know, his own motives included. Naturally, all Uchiha possessed a certain degree of potency, which many even revered as pure evil. Though she may have now chosen the form of a child, the fact that she had overcome such a mountain in the past would not be so easily forgotten. To Sayuri, it was almost as if nothing had ever occurred, and to play evident to that fact, she simply went about doing what she had done all day: ignore Aisaka. However, Sayuri was well aware of the girl's efforts in attempting to pressure her, though she cared very little for such a trait, if at all. Spreading her arms to her sides, Sayuri ran her forehead straight into the stump of the tree, causing a series of apples to fall from the sky. It appeared as though the forecast had altered upon her command; it might have very well been raining apples. In a chain-like sequence, the branches of the trees connected with the neighboring trees, and before long, even more apples, varying in different shades of red, yellow and green, began to descend from the heavens. Opening her mouth wide, Sayuri began to catch each of these apples as they fell down, creating some sort of game. Aisaka stopped, returning the scene back to what it was. "Who the hell is this kid?" she thought, noting how the girl ignored her Killing Intent as if was nothing more than a fly. Most people who encountered her ability tended to be at the very least scared, or at the most passed out because they couldn't take the wave of hatred. "Have I lost my edge?" Aisaka thought, noting that the girl was now making it rain apples. Then she remembered what she had said before, about this girls ancestry being part Uchiha. If there was any clan accustomed to hatred it would be them, and if there was any clan with the fortitude to overcome it, it would be the Senju. In other words, her Killing Intent would do little to nothing against this girl, no matter how potent Aisaka made it. "But is it possible for a girl this young to already have the Curse of Hatred?" Aisaka thought, before realizing anything was possible. "Just who are you?" Aisaka asked, wielding her sword and creating a longitudinal slash that put sliced through the falling apples. While an ANBU member, Aisaka had never been the most patient person when it came to things, and this girl's constant act of ignorance was starting to grate on Aisaka. It was all she could do not to attempt cutting the girl down where she stood, though from the way that girl ignored her Killing Intent, Aisaka knew it wouldn't be that simple. It was in this state of annoyance that Aisaka remembered something about Tsunade. Despite that Hokage's old age, she remained young in appearance, and during her gambling days, she was known to change her appearance in order to escape any gambling debt. "Could this girl be someone else?" Aisaka thought, as she waited impatiently for the girl to finally respond. A red apple. A yellow apple. A green apple. Then suddenly, Sayuri held on to her neck with both her hands. She began to gag, overly exaggerating the sour taste of the fruit she had engulfed down her throat in one inning. A large bulge could be seen in her throat as she hit the deck; lying down on her backside, she began to roll about frantically gasping for air all together. Naturally, she was an expert at housing large objects down her throat, though now here she was, appearing as though her end was near. Aisaka stared at the girl for a second, as she rolled around frantically, choking on one the apples she swallowed whole. Part of her just wanted to leave the girl behind as is, and catch that boat could leave her behind. However her consequence intervened, and with a sigh she carefully picked up the girl before doing a quick yet effective Heimlich maneuver, successfully dislodging the apple. "Are you an idiot? Why the hell would you try to eat an apple whole?" Aisaka said, roughly dumping Sayuri on the ground before straightening up. At this point Aisaka had enough. Straightening her slightly crooked mask, she shot off in the direction she came, aiming to arrive at Land of Fire's coastline before the boat left. "I can't believe I wasted my time on this girl," Aisaka thought, seething internally. Aisaka then stopped suddenly, digging up several blades of grass as she stomped on the brakes. Turning around, she sped in the direction of the clearing she had just left. With a sharpened focus fed by her rage, Aisaka removed all limiters, converting her chakra into raw speed as she readied her sword, feeding it with her KG chakra, causing the metal to sizzle and steam. As soon as Aisaka saw the girl come into her sight, she put on one more burst before aiming a slash across the girl's midsection, her sword quickly enlarging as if it fed off of her desire rather than the chakra she gave it. While her mask hid her emotions from view, one could see Aisaka's eyes glint with pure malice, nothing more than the bisection of the girl on her mind, though a small part of her brain took notice of a foul chakra being emitted from the girl. It was not enough to deter Aisaka from her path however. The lust for battle; the desire for war. Sayuri had seen it many times in her life, with most instances carrying her as the "villain". In the world of the ninja, there was no such differentiation as the good or bad; there was only the victor. Wars waged over seemingly anything, this particular example existing as a prime candidate for that idea. Though no more than a child, Sayuri too, had become a target of the accursed world where the word "mercy" was known only by a select few. Lying there on the ground, with her hands tending to the large bulge in her throat, Sayuri had been made well aware of Aisaka's intentions; this was, of course, examined mere moments prior to the assassin's departure, during the course of which she herself exhibited her incredible killing intent. For a shinobi such as Sayuri, who determined the actions of her opponents through their emotions, Aisaka was essentially appeared as an open book. As the blade of Aisaka's sturdy weapon reached to bisect Sayuri, it seemingly betrayed the will of it's wielder, instead missing completely. It was an odd sequence no matter what angle one may have looked about it; though in truth, it stemmed from Sayuri's ability to manipulate metallic objects, the blade of a sword being one of many objects she could place under her direct command. As she felt the return of Aisaka's potent hatred, Sayuri diverted the attack of the blade to the side, where the blade of the sword would have literally appeared as though it had changed its mind at the very last second, physically turning to instead dive headfirst into the ground beside Sayuri. All in the same motion, the apple that had been stuck in the girl's throat now found itself leaving her mouth at a vicious rate of speed; coated with Sayuri's chakra, it looked to playfully collide with Aisaka's face in an effort that would have done no more than drench her face in the lush juices of the fruit. In the meanwhile, Sayuri leaped backward, creating distance between herself and Aisaka, where thereafter, she landed some few feet away with her eyebrows raised in sheer surprise. Aisaka had enough reflexes to realign her sword to divert the apple, however the feeling of her sword going offline was shocking enough to jolt her out of her rage, if only for a second. "Why did it do that?" Aisaka thought, the feeling of her blade missing a target enriching her anger. Carefully flipping her sword before sticking it in the ground, she stared at the retreating girl. Making the seals she brought forth several weapons that she threw at the girl, wondering if the same thing would happen with these weapons, namely, them being thrown off course. Knowing that the girl's attention should be diverted with several weapons barreling towards her, Aisaka used her favorite technique in an attempt to trap the girl. Because she was creating the water dragon out of her own converted chakra, she had several options for the available to her should the trap succeed. If it she managed to evade part of the dragon, Aisaka could apply shape transformation in order to create a clone and her second favorite technique. Despite her anger, Aisaka was oddly excited at the prospect of fighting this girl, who seemed quite special. Sayuri's eyes widened as she now found herself being bombarded by a multitude of weapons --a number of which exceeded her counting capacity given her current age. Instead of standing her ground and repelling the attacks like she normally would have, Sayuri opened her mouth to let out a high pitched scream, akin to that of a little girl wetting the bed from a nightmare. She began to run, frantically at that, with the fear of being torn to bits by those sharp projectiles. However, she soon found herself being chased by a water dragon, which when she turned her head to examine, appeared as though it had skipped a meal or two, and was hoping to find its nourishment in her flesh. This only made the little girl run that much faster, before she uncovered a large tree in her way, blocking her path. Without hesitation, plowed straight through the trunk of the tree, causing it to split in half and fall over behind her, though this in itself was not enough to subdue the dragon. She continued onward, causing tree after tree to fall down as a result of her fright. The weapons that had been following her had found a new home in one of the many wooded areas of the forest, as they had all been traveling in a straight line; as soon as Sayuri made a turn, only the dragon would have been able to continue seeking its prey. Tree after tree fell, uplifting a thick cloud of dirt filled with leaves of varying colors. Finally, trespassing the security of the dirt, using it in the form of a cover, Sayuri turned around, opening her mouth wide. However, this time around, as opposed to screaming like earlier, she devoured the water dragon, first by absorbing the chakra that had been applied by Aisaka herself, and thereafter, quite literally drinking the water after that had been all that was left. In the least, the water dragon was quite refreshing, considering she needed something to wash down the many apples she had eaten earlier. Sayuri was not particularly interested in squaring off against this girl, though if she continued to persist, she may have no viable alternatives. She was as skilled as any opponent she had seen in her day, and the weapon she held dear was quite interesting in itself, something Sayuri had never quite ever seen before, aside from the customary blade of the Fifth Raikage. The cloud of dust soon disappeared, leaving a path of destroyed trees between Sayuri and Aisaka. From her location, the little girl would have been easy to locate, seeing as though the forest had been reduced to a field of some sort. "Shit, where did my dragon go?" Aisaka stated as she followed her weapons and her dragon at a more methodical pace. She was a demon closing in for the kill...or so she thought. Once the dust settled, she noted the girl well ahead of her, standing in an open field of uprooted trees. "Did she do that?" Aisaka thought, as she noted the level of devastation done to the current location. "Well, at least she was kind enough to give me weapons to work with," Aisaka, casually picking up two trees while a thin layer of chakra surrounding her person. Converting this chakra to fire, she casually set the trees ablaze, waiting patiently until they had a reached a charbroiled state while still flaming. Satisfied, she set off for Sayuri, taking care to not set herself on fire while carrying to sturdy oaks. As she closed in on Sayuri's location, she threw one of the trees while it faced horizontally, using her pinpoint skills to through it a line. Due to the length and width of the tree and the strength and speed of her throw, it would be difficult to evade her attack. Just in case however, Aisaka continued to pursue the tree, noting from the devastation and the deflected sword that this was no ordinary girl. "How does a kid like this remain hidden?" she thought, "especially one that is free to roam wherever they wish. I'm surprised Kiri nor any of the other villages have caught wind of this. Heh, looks like I'm the lucky one to find her," Aisaka thought as she patiently awaited Sayuri's reaction. As Aisaka waited patiently for her trees to catch ablaze, Sayuri took her own time to carefully analyze the situation. The girl had revealed herself to be adept in swordplay, moreover, she was an ANBU level kunoichi hailing from Kirigakure --a village that took to extremes when it came to battle, and her obvious lust for battle only worked to conclude this. Additionally, she was quite gifted in the field of nature transformation, in particular, the water and fire natures, respectively, and her chakra control was precise, enough to be utilized in a manner in which it could be applied to parts of her body for enhanced effects. The combination of elements Aisaka had been applying to the trees helped confirm that the fact she possessed the Boil Release Kekkei Genkai, if sensing it alone was not sufficient enough. This was no longer a battle Sayuri could simply walk away from, seeing as though her opponent sought to destroy wild life --even though she herself had done the same thing mere moments earlier. Avoiding conflict would only trouble any nearby inhabitants of the forest. Though she would have to manage herself in her child form, Sayuri finally felt the edge of motivation jolt up her spine. She meant business. Sayuri stood her ground as she was approached by two flaming trees. Considering Aisaka had taken her time to ignite them earlier, it was one of few strategies she could have utilized, though maintaining her own distance was one of the most predictable. It was not an attack necessarily difficult to evade --at least not for an accomplished shinobi of her own caliber-- though it was one that required the utmost delicacy to properly fend off. Without raising so much as a hand, Sayuri's body hardened, taking the principles of refined steel. There was no clear evidence of this, however, judging from appearance alone, as her physical outline remained what it had been for the better part of the day, from her skin color to the tone of her attire. As the trees made contact with Sayuri, the flames seemingly disappeared similarly to the water dragon earlier, and the trees yet again proved futile against Sayuri's solid structure. She stood firm, without so much as a scratch on her being, with her eyes closed, her head tucked low, looking down towards the ground. Her hands curled into fists at her sides, and Sayuri slowly looked up, her eyes still closed. As Aisaka had elected to pursue the trees she had thrown earlier, she would have been heading for Sayuri in a straight line. Welcoming the challenge, Sayuri's eyes suddenly opened, revealing a pair of crimson eyes that would have further established Aisaka's own hypothesis; after seeing Sayuri's sharingan, there would have been little doubt left behind the child's lineage. Aisaka skidded to a stop, the second flaming tree being held easily in her hand, as she watched the flames on the first tree disappear before watching the solid oak split around Sayuri's person. "No way," Aisaka thought, staring at the kid who stood calmly before her. "Guess I'll have to break my cone of silence," Aisaka said, before the revelation of Sayuri's eyes opening. "I knew it," Aisaka said aloud, "You are a Uchiha, and with the Fifth's lineage, a Senju too. I do wonder what that peculiar ability of yours is,". From what she could tell, not only was this kid a Sharingan user, but she had an ability to somehow disintegrate or suck in elemental chakra. And while she didn't know what the explanation for such an ability was, she knew that girl had to be responsible for her sword changing direction at the very last second. Combine that with this girl's likely very high chakra reserves thanks to her lineage, and Aisaka knew she had a long road ahead if she was going to get the best of this girl. Curious to test the girl's abilities, Aisaka put down her second tree, putting out the flames. Taking a blackened tree branch off, she stripped off any excess sub-branches and shaped into the rough shape of a sword. Twirling it skillfully, Aisaka stared down the girl, making sure to carefully avoid those eyes. Considering the abundance of skills this girl showed already, it wouldn't surprise her if she could activate a genjutsu upon eye contact. Leveling her makeshift sword in one hand, and a clenched fist in the other. Focused, her eyes turned red, with a shroud of intense midnight blue gathered around her person. This was the incomplete state of her so called "demon shroud", a trait that she shared with her late uncle Zabuza. Prepared, she ran at the girl, making it appear as if she didn't care whatever happened. As she came close, she leveled the sword at the girl, this time going for a vertical slash. However, at last moment, she ran water chakra through her empty hand, releasing a spherical shape that quickly attempted to surround the girl's body, using Aisaka's hand as the starting point. To make it even more dangerous, Aisaka changed the element being ran through her arm to boil chakra, causing the water sphere to bubble and pop, growing exponentially in its heat index. Maintaining her grip on the "sword", she carefully maneuvered it into a position where she could quickly slash or stab the girl should she manage to escape the spherical ball, and considering the array of abilities she had seen already, she had a feeling it would be likely to happen at some point. "Why won't you tell me your name?" Aisaka asked, her voice deceptively soft in its projection. past, had been forced to fight with their eyes closed before the eye prowess on the Uchiha. It was something that restricted them in battle greatly, as it essentially took away their sense of sight --arguably the most reliable sense known to man. Before a behemoth such as Sayuri, a single glance was futile. While Aisaka may have taken precaution, it was evident that she had caught a glimpse of Sayuri's sharingan, and that in itself was enough to cast a powerful genjutsu upon her soul. Through her eyes and up towards her brain, the genjutsu was known to carry a potent paralysis effect. Aisaka would feel her body grow numb, and altogether begin to lose consciousness, before dropping to the ground without so much as another ounce of movement. Any hopes of immediate recovery were drawn apart, considering the mastery Sayuri established over her crimson eyes; awakening them at the measly age of four, she had well over sixty years worth of experience under her belt, something that placed her atop the rankings when it came to the testament of skill. While Aisaka had proven herself to be of a similar class, her experiences --when compared to Sayuri-- would without a doubt cause her to fall in battle at this very instance, though what awaited her may have been all the more unexpected. With her eyes widened, Sayuri awaited the result of her opponent. Aisaka felt it. Slowly at first, but then it grew with exceptional speed. It was a numbing effect, similar to how one feels after taking a large dosage of Novocaine. "Shit," Aisaka thought, remembering that one critical glance, "She was able to cast a genjutsu within that small of a time frame? I can't believe this kid, who the hell is she? Most Uchiha I faced in the past were good a genjutsu, but not this good at such a young age. Damn it, I underestimated her, just like my uncle did with those brats," Aisaka wasn't sure if she had enough time to use a genjutsu release, never mind if such a technique would have an effect on this fast spreading genjutsu. Aisaka tried it anyways, her conscious fading fast. "I can't believe I lost to a damn kid, though at this rate, I don't even know if she's a kid," Aisaka thought, before hitting the ground with a thud. Her semi-completed boil prison disappeared from around Sayuri, though even in its incomplete state the prison was able to render several burns that would be felt tomorrow, a testament to Aisaka's prowess with her KG. But for now, that minor detail was unimportant, as Aisaka lay on the ground, the charbroiled tree that she had held earlier lying silently next to her person. "Fuck," was the last thought she made, before completing going under. It had been ages since the last time Sayuri had called upon such historic power. In fact, it had been so long since she last activated the sharingan that she simply could not even remember the last event that had forced her to do so --all the more reason to recognize Aisaka as a meaningful threat. Witnessing the same girl fall to her knees, Sayuri quickly deactivated her sharingan, the blood red color fading from her otherwise light-blue eyes. Using so much chakra in her child state was exhausting; she was not accustomed to it by any means, but it remained her disguise, and as such, she was almost forced to utilize it to avoid attention. Oddly enough, Sayuri found herself with a mass of time upon her shoulders; with no one else to be found within the vicinity of the apple infested forest, the girl could take her sweet time to decide upon what to do next. However, an objective lied about before her: Aisaka. She couldn't simple leave the girl behind, given her condition... could she? Then again, it wasn't really Sayuri's responsibility to look after anyone else other than herself, especially shinobi from another village. Deep down inside, Sayuri still considered herself a member of the hidden leaf; certainly any heroic act here would only translate to betray later on; yet, she could not get herself to turn her back on the girl, a testament to her increasing sympathy to life. It was interesting to believe that the very same person had taken lives without so much as a second thought only a few years back. The tides had turned, and Sayuri couldn't help but watch in disbelief as she found herself approaching the defeated warrior. First and foremost, taking a seat upon Aisaka's stomach, Sayuri removed the girl's ANBU mask to reveal her true identity. It was a rather devilish move, to say the least, especially considering the fact that she herself was an ANBU several years ago, though despite such facts, she was still content on invading this girl's privacy. Red hair, fragile skin; the perpetrator behind the mask was no more than a little girl, twenty at most. Sayuri couldn't help but be reminded of her own past life, serving as a famed member of the Root organization. It was all too nostalgic. It was common courtesy to escort lost children back home; it was the least Sayuri could have done after what she had put Aisaka through. After all, it had been a few years in itself since the last time she had been anywhere near the blood mist; it could have served as an impressive experience in its own right. Placing the palm of her hand atop the girl's forehead, Sayuri concentrated her chakra into her, resulting in a sudden dispersion. She, along with Aisaka, had teleported away from the scene, without leaving so much as a mark behind --minus the obvious vandalism of wild life from the battle that had taken place earlier. With another distinct swirling pattern --which had not been noticeable earlier, due to the sheer speed at which it was executed-- Sayuri appeared in a forest before the gates of Kirigakure, with the unconscious Aisaka still beneath her. Finally rising from atop the girl, Sayuri released a fluctuation of chakra from her body in a manner in which it took the form of a colossal pillar; bursting into the sky, it was made highly noticeable to the rest of the villagers, to which they would have responded to by showing up at the designated area immediately. It was almost a flare-like maneuver of the sort, a real attention getter. However, when Aisaka's comrades arrived upon the scene, there was no one there to meet them, aside from the fallen soldier. If the two were to ever meet again, then fate would see to it. Category:Great's Play of Words